The place is kind of hard to find, because it's almost at the end of the road. It took us loads of walking before we reached the place, and by the time we reached the place, we really were hungry. We think you can get to the place though by riding a "padyak" or a taxi if you prefer a more comfortable vehicle. We just don't know how much it'll cost you since we just walked to get there (and boy were we tired).
When you get inside, you'll feel the formal-like ambiance since it really looks like a high-end Chinese restaurant. And believe us when we say that you'll really feel out of place because everybody seems to know each and everyone inside. Some would stand from their tables and go to other tables to talk. There were some expensive food on the menu, but there also some dishes which are light on the wallet and big in servings. They offer free tea and peanuts, by the way. Wanna know what we tried? Well, here goes:
(By the way, you might want to reconsider on ordering drinks since theirs cost 100php each. And that's just softdrinks hahahaha)
Lak Sa, 328 php
Glutton Guy: I really liked Tao Yuan's version of the Lak Sa. It's taste is very authentic. You can taste the nice blend of the coconut milk and the spicy seafood flavoring which I really love. It was the exact taste as the original Singaporean Lak Sa. The thing that it lacked though was the seafoods. The one I ate before was full of seafood like cuttle fish, shrimp, and oyster. The Tao Yuan version lacked seafoods because there were only shrimp and squid balls. It was still good nevertheless. : )
Glutton Girl: At first I was afraid of this dish because I really had no idea what it was. When I tasted it though my thoughts about it completely changed. It was really really good. The spicy flavor of the soup was tolerable and the noodles were really firm. The shrimps and other ingredients that are in the soup were also good. It's one big bowl of comfort food for me. Overall, I think it's a Singaporean dish worth trying.
Hainanese Rice, 50 php
Glutton Guy: Personally, I don't think it's worth it. It was just like buttered rice. It doesn't have any distinct taste. So I think it would be better if you would just order regular/plain rice. : )
Glutton Girl: When I read other blogs about it saying that it's really good, I expected it to be a good one. However, there wasn't anything special about this rice. It was just like normal fried rice that I could make at our house. Add the fact that it costs 50 php, I'd say that I would go with Glutton Guy's suggestion of just ordering plain rice.
Hainanese Chicken, 445 php (Half)
Glutton Guy: I really liked this dish. What I really don't like about the usual Hainanese chicken is the gingery flavor. Tao Yuan's version was not too gingery, which is why I liked it. True enough, it's also another dish you've gotta try at Tao Yuan. : )
Glutton Girl: What I love about the dish is the tenderness of the chicken. The half chicken is actually good for 3-4 persons. The sauce was good and the just like what Glutton Guy said it wasn't too gingery. Plus, it was beautifully presented.
Beef Tenderloin with Special Sauce, 328 php
Glutton Guy: This was my favorite amongst all of the dishes we ordered. I really loved the sauce and the beef was very tender. Plus, the servings was big. I'd have to say, it's another must-try for you Glutton Guys out there. : )
Glutton Girl: I really loved this dish. It's also my favorite. No wonder that sauce is so special - it was really really good. The beef was very soft and perfectly cooked. It was like a better version of beef with broccoli, minus the broccoli. This is probably one of the dishes that I would order again upon my return at Tao Yuan.
Mango Dessert, FREE
Glutton Guy: I liked it very much. It's free, so I just appreciated the generous gesture. Anyways, the mango was really sweet. You can tell that it was juiced out from fresh mangoes. It was a really sweet end to a glorious feast. : )
Glutton Girl: Just when I thought that nothing is free anymore. And this is one delicious free dessert. The mangoes were sweet and were pureed evenly. There were no mango lumps, which was an added plus. The tapioca was soft and good as well, a perfect add-on to the dessert. One word to describe it? Lovely.
Don't forget that they also offer delicious Chinese food. They offer hot pots, dimsum, live seafood, and even shabu-shabu. There's a lot of dishes to choose from at Tao Yuan so you'll never run out of good things to try. So next time, if you're up for some good Chinese or Singaporean food, why not give Tao Yuan a try? Bet you'll love it there. We did. : )
Rating: Buddhalicious!
(Tao Yuan Restaurant is located at General Malvar Street, corner A. Mabini Street, Malate, Manila. It's just near Pan Pacific Hotel and in front of a Korean store.)
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